Hello all, and welcome to my blog!  My name is Kris Keppel, and for two weeks in May this page will be used to chronicle my once in a lifetime journey to Vietnam through the Plus3 program at the University of Pittsburgh.

For some background information on myself, I grew up approximately 35 minutes north of Pittsburgh in Sarver, PA, a very small, tight-knit community.  My mother also attended the University of Pittsburgh, so, needless to say, I was born and raised a Panther.  Here at Pitt, I am currently finishing up my freshmen year in the Swanson School of Engineering, where I recently declared as a bioengineering major on the pre-med track.

During my four years here in Oakland, I plan to venture out of my comfort zone and experience all that I can, which made the Plus3 Vietnam program a can’t miss opportunity.  Of course, one of the main reasons was because, like every other person involved with the Plus3 program, I love to travel.  Vietnam provides more than just an opportunity to travel, however, and that’s what sets it apart from the other destinations in my mind.  I chose Vietnam because it is simply so different religiously, culturally, and historically from all of the other locations, and I feel as though there will be very few, if any, opportunities in the future to go to such a unique place.

I am incredibly excited for this trip (even the 30 hours of travel), and I look forward to taking in all of the wonderful sights, sounds, and other sensations that Vietnam has to offer.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll follow my journey throughout!

-Kris Keppel